Portland might have talked up the No. 13 seed, but Lady Mocs coach Wes Moore took the art of being "diplomatic" to a whole new level.
Among his fears, Moore listed newly named second team All American Kelly Mazzante, who he plans to defend man-to-man, point guard Jess Strom and guard Tanisha Wright. That's not to mention forward Rashana Barnes, who "pretty much scares me to death," because of her inside scoring potential, a potential dilemma for a team that lacks height, Moore said.
Barnes likes to see it a little differently.
"I'm tired of being pushed around by those big girls...it's an advantage," Barnes said.
Barnes' importance on the floor might be overshadowed by her role in the locker room of giving senior leadership to a team loaded with underclassmen.
"(The seniors) just explained to us that you need to go out and play every game," the freshman Wright said. "It's real exciting, being the first NCAA tournament that I've ever been in. I just want to try to keep it calm and not get too energetic."
Portland hopes that sense of calm extends through her team, in hopes that her team can fulfil one of her mantras by defending the Jordan Center.
While the fans might be behind the home school, the Mocs are not intimidated. Earlier in the season, they played before a large crowd against Tennessee.
"I think the crowd is going to be good for us," Chattanooga forward Heather Dykes said. "Our team always does a good job of getting up for big games."
Regardless of how amped up Chattanooga comes out, the Lions do not intend on giving the Mocs any window of opportunity.
"We need to come out rebounding, hustling, transition defense, transition offense and have everything put together from the beginning," Barnes said.
